French Cannelés...

3 weeks at college, 3 nights in a proper restaurant style kitchen and finally I've regained my mojo.
A lot can be said for jumping head first out of your comfort zone...

Several months ago now I promised a recipe for French Cannelés and its been sat in my draft box since they came out of the oven.

I think its about time I let them out of the box, don't you?

So "what are Cannelés?" I hear you ask! Well my friends, I shall tell you. They originate from Bordeaux in France and are one of the best known sweet treats of the region. The recipe resembles that of a crêpe, but the finished items are pure perfection. Typically they have a rich caramel coloured exterior with a beautifully fluffy interior.

You will need:

500ml Full fat milk.
50g unsalted butter.
1 vanilla pod worth of beans. (Or cheat like I did and you paste)
100g plain white flour.
250g icing sugar.
1stp salt.
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks.
60ml of rum.

To start, Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan with the
vanilla (pod and beans or the paste if you too are a cheater...). Bring to the boil over a medium heat. Once its boiling remove from the heat and allow to cool a tad.

Next place the flour, icing sugar and salt into a large bowl and then lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

Once the milk has had time to cool slightly, add it along with the eggs to the dry mixture (Remove the pod before hand if you used one). Stir gently until it all comes together, but don't worry to much about lumps at this stage. Grab your trusty sieve and strain the mixture into a clean bowl, pushing the lumps through until you have a smoothing mixture. At this stage, its party time. Add the rum, give it a stir and then cover with cling film and pop it into the fridge. (You can add the pod back in at this point if you used one for added flavour)

This is where the difficulty starts... You have to use will power and leave it there...

...For 2 days...Minimum...!!!

Doing this not only allows the flavours to get to know each other but it also allows the gluten to relax causing a fluffier interior.

One key point though, give it a stir every now and then to allow the flavours to really get to know each other.

Now, there are several different pieces of bake ware you can use to bake these. But which ever piece you choose to use, you need to get it preheated before you add the mixture. This helps to create that crisp exterior.

Preheat the oven to 240°C and when the pan/silicone has preheated (This should only take a few minutes) pour the mixture into each hole roughly three quarters of the way up.

Place into the hot oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 190°C and continue baking for another hour.

When the hour is up, remove from the moulds and allow to cool on a wire rack.

As they begin to cool the exterior will being to develop a crisp caramel coloured exterior, with a pale and fluffy interior.

These sweet little treats really have the wow factor and are beautiful paired with a freshly brewed pot of coffee.

So go on...treat yourself this weekend!

One year on...

...where the frick did that year go?

The Broke Boy is back in business! Lots of things have happened since my last post. If you followed the blog before hand you may remember that I got a new job which meant I would be traveling around the country, getting a company car etc....

Well that lasted all of a month before they closed the project down and sent everyone back to their old positions. For me it went a little differently and I was deployed to Bristol, which is a 30-45 minute commute without traffic. Oh...and they never gave me the company car and I was told I had to pay for travel and everything.

Needless to say this was not part of the deal when I signed up for the new job. Eventually I was transferred back to my old place of work and within a week managed to secure a new job within the company at a brand new store.

To start with I was taken on as a member of the recruitment team, which in itself was quite a fun task. That took me up until the end of October which is when we had the grand opening.

Since then I've been doing lots of different things, but this has also meant I simply haven't had the time to stop, think, cook or even more devastatingly... BAKE!

Over the past few months I've taken some steps, to some they may seem small, but to me they have been fantastic.

I recently purchased my first brand spanking new car. Her name is Scarlet and she is a sexy bitch.

Another thing that's been going through my head is that I'm not getting any younger and if I want to grab my dreams I had better get started.

So....The exciting news is that tomorrow I have an interview at a local college to join a course in Professional Cookery. This has been a massive dream of mine since school. I should have listened to my gut back at school and gone down this path straight away, rather than wasting 11 years on something that now I can never see myself using.

With this in mind I feel that its an appropriate time to restart The Broke Boy and continue the mission that I set out on back in 2013. Prepare to have your screen filled with glorious Food Porn!

Starting with this!


Lemon and Saffron Chicken!

Over the last 3 weeks my whole family have been trying really hard to stick to a healthy diet. We have done really well, losing a combined total of roughly 22lb. I've never been one to stick to a diet, but this time it seems to be working.

I've made this recipe once before, its by the very talented Sabrina Ghayour. Its such a simple dish but the end result is delicious. Its from her book Persiana.

This was our Sunday night treat, and you can make it to!

You will need:

4 onions.
5 lemons, the juice of.
4tbsp of olive oil.
1tsp ground turmeric.
400g of Greek style yogurt (I used the fat free one).
3tbsp crushed sea salt.
A good pinch of Saffron threads.
3tbsp of boiling water.
6 large chicken breasts, skin and boneless.

 

Now I know what you are thinking...That's a lot of onions and lemons but trust me, its totally worth it. The end result really packs a punch.

Start by slicing the onions into half moons. You want them to be quite thin so that they cook quickly and get a slight charred effect when cooked.

Once that's done add the juice of the 5 lemons.

Next add the olive oil and then the turmeric.

Give it all a good stir so that the onions are covered with the oily lemony goodness. Then add the Greek yogurt and the salt.

Put the Saffron into a Mortar and pestle and grind to dust, then cover with the boiling water and allow it to infuse for 5 minutes or so.

Slice the chicken into 5cm chunks and throw it in with the onions.

After 5 minutes or so, add the Saffron liquid to the chicken and onions. Give it a good mix around so everything is slicked with yellow.

Cover with cling film and pop in the fridge. Allow the mixture to marinate for one hour, or if you have the patients over night.

Once your patients has worn off, fish the chicken out and place it onto a oven proof baking dish lined with baking paper.
Pop into a preheated oven (highest maximum temperature) and cook for 18-20 minutes. Now as usual, you know your own oven so do what you think is best. The aim is to char them slightly.

Now I wanted to serve this dish with something delicious and filling. I decided to slice up some Aubergine and sprayed with a little olive oil. I then popped them onto the BBQ over a medium heat, turning occasionally to get some good grill lines.

Once you are happy that the chicken is cooked and suitably charred take it out of the oven and get ready to dine!

I served mine with a side salad, some brown rice and the aubergines...

 

And if you are feeling really naughty...a little blob of Greek yogurt.

The lemon cuts through the onion and gives the chicken a lovely Zing.. lovely for a summers evening!

I hope that you enjoyed this post guys, its great to be back!

Wish me luck for tomorrow!

Comments on what you think below!

A new wok...A new recipe...

Recently I have gone through several woks. My first was a Tefal which served me well through uni, then when I really got into Wok cooking I visited my local Chinese supermarket and got myself a carbon steel wok that required seasoning. I then went for a large Wok with a lid, although its a great size I found it to hard to keep hot on my hob. 

So finally I went back to the carbon steel variety but this time I went for one of Ching He Huang's. I got it at the bargain price of £7.50 at Sainsburys and it really is perfect. Its big enough for what I need, Heats evenly and is easy to clean.

To christen it I decided to try a recipe I haven't made before. 

Minced beef and green pepper stir fry.
For this recipe you will need (serves 4-6):

500g Minced Beef
2 green peppers
3 carrots
a big handful of cherry tomatoes
a thumb sized piece of ginger, grated finely
3 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
one green chilli, deseeded (leave them in if you like the heat)
a teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional, if you like the heat)
2-3 spring onions (to garnish)

For the sauce:

150ml of cold water
3 tablespoons of shaohsing rice wine (or dry sherry)
3 tablespoons of light soy sauce
3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
3 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil
3 teaspoons of chilli oil
3 tablespoons of cornflour

Start by preparing all of the vegetables, chop the cherry tomatoes in half, the peppers into strips and the carrots on an angle (about half a cm thick.

To make the sauce simple combine all of the ingredients in a jug, it is really important that the water is cold, warm water will cause the cornflour to clump and it will ruin the meal.

Place the Wok on the hob and allow it to heat until it begins to smoke. Add one tablespoon of groundnut oil and give it a swirl to cover the edges.

Throw in the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir it for a few seconds before adding the beef.

Stir fry the mince for a few minutes, breaking it up into small pieces.

Once the meat has browned add the carrots. Stir fry these with the meat for 2-3 minutes. The Chinese like their vegetables to have bite to them and it really does add texture to the dish.

Next add the peppers and tomatoes and stir for a minute or so before adding the sauce. The cornflour in the sauce will cause it to thicken when it hits the hot wok, making a thick glossy gravy.

Allow it to cook together for a few minutes (Or until the veg is to your liking) before serving.

To serve simple pop it in a serving dish and garnish with chopped spring onion. 

I served this with plain jasmine rice but you could add egg noodles to this dish if you like.

If you like this recipe why not also look at this one for Kung Po chicken.

A great day in Bristol...

...So this weekend I made my way to the Bristol Foodies Festival. I got there early in order to get tickets for the chefs I wanted to see. Sadly getting there early didn't seem to work this year because they had virtually no tickets left! I managed to get a ticket for Glenn Cosby but missed out on getting one for 

Larkin Cen. However he came to my rescue on twitter and managed to get me in at the back!

The day started with Glenn Cosby from 2013's Great British Bake Off. I was expecting this to be quite a funny demonstration because he came across on the show as being a very funny chap. I hadn't prepared myself for the hilarity that ensued.

He was fantastic! He had the whole audience laughing and he really made it fun.

He made Ginger Scones with a Grapefruit and Ginger curd, from his book "Extra Helpings".

His tip for a great scone is "the wetter the better" (quickly followed by telling the lady in the back that she was rude for smirking)

I would highly recommend seeing his show "Bake It Big" if possible, he truly is a talented chap! Not many people can bake and crack a joke at the same time!

He signed copies of his book at the end and when I got to the front of the queue he asked if I baked and looked at me as if he recognised me. I introduced myself as the broke boy and he knew who I was! I was very excited by this..made my week!

Next up was Larkin Cen. He kindly tweeted the organisers of the Foodies Festival to try and get me in, And it worked! I managed to stand at the back in the centre of the aisle and get a great view of the demo. Sadly the lighting in the tent was a bit iffy so neither of my camera's managed to get a clear shot of him.

The demo revolved around Larkins soon to open restaurant/Take away, Hokkeí. The asian inspired menu will cost you £12, and you will get a main, side and dessert. I personally cannot wait to travel all the way to Cardiff just to get my hands on the little boxes of joy. 

For his demo he created one of the meals you could have from Hokkeí. Posh duck curry served half and half with chips and rice, along side some spicy squid.

Asian food has always been a favourite of mine. The second he started cooking the amazing smells began to fill the air around me. I was quite literally in food heaven. 

Does't it all look yummy?

Watching him enjoy himself in the kitchen has made me think once again about trying to change my career. I think I would be so much happier stepping into a kitchen and doing something I love.

Larkin gave a great tip for making the squid curl perfectly, I would share but I think it deserves a blog post all of its very own! Check back soon.

Upon returning home my tummy was growling and I suddenly realised that I had been to a foodies festival and not eaten a single bite! I quickly whipped up a batch of Glenn's scones. I got into a bit of a pickle making them because my ruddy kitchen units are awful for making anything remotely sticky, Hence the lack of photos. But never fear, this weekend I am going to remake them just for you guys and post a step by step guide... Who am I kidding...Im doing it for my tummy...All for me!

Time flies when you're...

...staring a new job! It's been two whole months since my last blog post! Where has the time gone!

So let me start with the new...

I started a new job as a Regional trainer, I was to travel my neck of the woods delivering training for new systems that were to be implemented over the coming year. 
A company car was promised and it was all going really well...
Until it stopped!

Basically the system wasn't quite ready for roll out and the job has ended until January. I am still employed but I'm currently unsure as to what I will be doing over the coming months.

Because of the new job i've not had the time to bake and cook as much as I normally do but never fear! I've been on holiday this week and i've spent some time in the kitchen.

Last Sunday was the Wimbledon final and I love any excuse to have a BBQ and crack open the pimms. This year Emma came to play and we decided to go all out food wise. I made some home made Brioche burger buns for the occasion.

I used Will Torrent's brioche recipe but had to make some home made bun rings out of tin foil, Much easier than you would think!

They turned out rather well don't you think? They were beautifully buttery.

I also made some cinnamon rolls to keep myself amused! The picture doesn't do them justice but they were devoured by the family and I dropped some into my old colleagues for their morning break.

I also tried 2 recipes from Sabrina Ghayour's book "Persiana". First was her sour cherry lamb meatballs in a spiced tomato sauce. I really cannot speak highly enough of this recipe! It was bloody lush!

Also tried the Lemon Saffron Chicken which was beautiful, perfect for a warm summers evening.

As it has been so long since i've blogged or had time to go out an enjoy the food of life... (well...food..) I've decided to dedicate this entire weekend to the Bristol Foodies Festival.

You might remember I went last year and had a brilliant time, If not take a look here and see what you missed.

This years event is looking great, the winner of this years master chef (Ping Coombes) is one of the guest chefs and I cannot wait to see what she creates. She's from Bath and it will be great to see some local talent!

There is also the Master Chef street food bus! This is probably where you will find me over the entire course of the weekend!

Other demonstrations include Larkin Cen from MasterChef 2013 and Glenn Cosby from GBBO 2013. 

If you fancy coming along tickets are still on sale online or on the door over the course of the weekend.

Go on...

Eat well!

The Hungry Dog...

...Recently there has been a flurry of activity on Twitter surrounding this lovely little box of joy. John Whaite recently released his new book which is full of great recipes, he also finished his time studying at Le Cordon Bleu (JEALOUS!) and has now moved on to something new...

CHOCOLATE!

The Hungry Dog is his new baby. Each chocolate is created by hand by John himself, packaged up and sent off to those lucky enough to succeed in "the hunt".

Each box contains 8 beautiful chocolates with their own delicious flavours. 20 boxes are sold each week, making them a truly special gift....Or a really naughty treat!

The website itself describes the experience best...

"This is a chocolate shop like no other. Every week just 20 boxes of 8 assorted chocolates are made. No more and no less. When the chocolates are ready the shop opens. Once the 20 boxes are gone, the hunt begins again a week later. 

To get a box you have to channel the hungry dog. Be driven by that desire and hunt the best. "

On bank holiday monday after a long day at work, I decided it was time to open the box and cover my face in glorious chocolate.
First out of the box was this little beauty...
I've been waiting for this single chocolate since John originally announced his new venture...The passion fruit frolic!
Biting through the dark belgian chocolate shell to find a passion fruit infused white chocolate ganache...

The noises coming from me were all kinds of wrong! but so so right!

Then onto the Forbidden Fruit..

"A beautiful pink strip on a 53.8% finest Belgian dark, hand moulded shell represents the simplicity and beauty of a Japanese cherry blossom tree. Inside though, lies a black cherry ganache, using that same dark chocolate and a 100% fruit black cherry purée." 

I love the thought behind all of the descriptions. They really make you feel like you are on an adventure...Hunting down the best of the best!

The Hazelnut Elixir... "For those who love a a nutty, caramel indulgence, and of course, gold." Who doesn't love gold!? 

The Black Dog. Dark chocolate, Guinness and blackcurrant..What more do you need to know! My tongue tingled after every flavour hit it. So scrummy!

The STP (Sticky Toffee Pudding).

"A chocolate truffle like no other. Inside this 53.8% finest Belgian dark chocolate, hand dipped truffle lies an intense mixture of Billingtons unrefined dark muscovado sugar, butter, dried dates and 33.6% finest Belgian milk chocolate. 

A chocolate to fulfil the deepest, darkest desires. For those who relish the dark, treacly tones of dark muscovado sugar. "

Its like reading food porn! 50 shades of chocolate!

Merrick the Shepherd. This little chocolate really carries the ethos of The Hungry Dog..The description tells you more..

"Inside this hand dipped 53.8% finest Belgian dark chocolate shell, awaits a water ganache using that same dark chocolate, laced with cinnamon and a delicate hint of Monkey Shoulder whisky. 

This is named after the Shepherd in the ethos and origin story, and the silver stars are to wish his soul well, wherever it may lie; hopefully in a field of sheep beneath a starry sky, accompanied by his trusty dog. 

This is the chocolate for those who aren't afraid of the heat of whisky and cinnamon. "

The Plain Jane was an unexpected treat! No cream is used to make the ganache so the chocolate flavour is pure. I wasn't expecting the core to be so fluid but it was heavenly! I had to take a picture of it before shoving it in my gob.

And last but by no means least...The LMP (Lemon Meringue Pie)

This is one for those who love lemons...The thought of it 2 days on makes my mouth water. The perfect balance of sweet and sour.

I had planned on having one chocolate each day to extend the enjoyment...But that went out of the window on first bite!

I would seriously recommend trying a box if you like chocolate (and if you can get your hands on one). 

This weeks box is a little different...

This week only 10 boxes will be made. Limited edition white and gold boxes will be sent out containing limited edition salted caramels.
They go on sale at 8pm tonight (Wednesday the 7th) and will be signed by the man himself, John Whaite.

Get on over to The Hungry Dog early and keep refreshing the page for your chance to complete the hunt.

Trust me! you won't regret it for a second!

Well Done John! Now hurry up and organise some more blogger days! Chocolate creation please...!


WOOF!